Reflections by award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett, author of many books about the sea

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Saturday, April 20, 2013

How crowd sourcing got it wrong

Internet detectives blunder badly over Boston bombing
Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News, tells the story of how amateurs can get it tragically wrong.For the past 48 hours, he says, internet users have been working with each other to piece
together clues about the culprits of the Boston bombings. The result? They got
it wrong - and left innocent people fearing for their safety. A young man named Sunil Tripathi was one "suspect" (read "victim") picked out by thousands of internet users who were discussing their theories and "leads" within massive communities such as Reddit,
4Chan, Facebook and Twitter.Another "suspect" was 17-year-old Salah Barhoun, described on Reddit simply as
Blue Robe Man, thanks to the tracksuit top he had worn.

Users posted information relating to his whereabouts, and pointing out the
"sagging" in a shoulder bag he was holding - a sign, some thought, that he was
carrying something heavy.

Hours later, the same pictures that had circulated on
Reddit and 4Chan found their way to the front page of the New York Post.

Under the headline "bag men", Mr Barhoun and a friend were said to be wanted
for questioning - but the tabloid added: "There is no direct evidence linking
them to the crime."

The pair were not involved in the bombing - and Mr Barhoun told ABC News he
now fears for his life.

With each suspect, a rush to find their real identities - and in some cases,
social media profiles and groups were peppered with threatening messages.On Friday, those efforts ended with an apology. After hours of chatter and
speculation, the standout suspect identified - and named - was the wrong
man.

"I'd like to extend the deepest apologies to the family of Sunil Tripathi for
any part we may have had in relaying what has turned out to be faulty
information," wrote Reddit user Rather_Confused.

"We cannot begin to know what you're going through and for that we are truly
sorry.

"Several users, Twitter users, and other sources had heard him identified as
the suspect and believed it to be confirmed.